Telephone data recording system

Abstract

A system is disclosed for recording incoming, numerically-encoded telephone messages generated by a caller via his touch-tone or rotary dial, and successively visually displaying the messages at the called telephone. The system includes an answer actuator for capturing the telephone line in response to an incoming ringing signal, and a memory circuit for storing incoming messages. Each numerically-encoded message is stored as a data set having a predetermined number of digits in a memory capable of storing several messages. In response to read-out command signals, the messages are successively transferred to a visual display. Each message may represent a telephone number where the caller can be reached, or other information such as a numerically-encoded instruction or message.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system for transferring messages via telephone lines comprising: means for generating a call signal from a first telephone to a second telephone over the telephone lines;   means at said second telephone for detecting said call signal and in response thereto causing said second telephone to capture the telephone lines;   means at said first telephone for generating on the lines a single, complete, variable length digital message associated with said call signal, said variable length message having M digitally encoded characters, where 1 ≦ M ≦ N, N being a constant;   means at said second telephone for storing successive, incoming ones of said variable length messages, said storage means including a memory having a plurality of storage banks, each of said storage banks containing N storage locations for storing up to N digitally encoded characters, means for generating a gating signal corresponding to the length of each character of the incoming, variable length message, converter means responsive to said gating signal for converting said incoming, digital characters to binary coded signals, means for detecting the end of the incoming, variable length message, pulse generator means for generating N pulses, means for shifting said binary coded signals into said memory in response to the N pulses generated by said pulse generator, means responsive to said end of message detecting means for operating said pulse generator to shift the M binary coded characters of said incoming message into an N stage storage bank of said memory, (N-M) storage locations of said bank thereby remaining empty;   display means at said second telephone for visually displaying only one complete message; and   readout means at said second telephone for successively reading out single ones of said stored messages to said display means, said readout means displaying the content of only one storage bank each time said readout means is activated, each readout containing a single complete, stored message.   
     
     
       2. The system of claim 1, wherein said message generating means at said first telephone comprises telephone dial means. 
     
     
       3. The system of claim 1, wherein the said memory comprises a scratch pad memory and a main memory, means responsive to said gating signal for loading said scratch pad memory with binary coded characters generated by said converter means, and means responsive to said end of message detecting means and said pulse generator means for shifting the characters stored in said scratch pad memory into said main memory. 
     
     
       4. The system of claim 1, wherein the said pulse generator includes means responsive to said gating signal for generating M pulses for shifting the M binary coded characters into said memory, and means responsive to said end of message detecting means for generating an additional (N-M) pulses to shift said M message into N stage storage bank in said memory. 
     
     
       5. The system of claim 1, wherein said display means is adapted to form a base of said second telephone. 
     
     
       6. The system of claim 1, wherein said display means is exposed through an opening formed in a casing of said second telephone.